Question:
Is it allowed to give Zakaah to a person for the purpose of refurbishing the local Masjid?
Answer:
No, Zakaah is spent to its rightful legislated recipients, and the Masaajid are to be cooperated with, and whoever wants to do good and for Allaah to build for him a house in Jannah, he makes a Masjid
مَنْ بَنَى مَسْجِدًا لِلَّهِ بَنَى اللَّهُ لَهُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ مِثْلَهُ
“Whoever builds a Masjid for Allaah, Allaah will build him a house in Jannah like it.”
Especially Yaa Ikhwaan, the Masaajid of khair, beware that you go and build a Masjid for the Sufis, or the people of Bida’h and Tahazzub, you’ll be cooperating upon sin and transgression and disobedience to Allaah, and you’re cooperating upon the opposing of the truth, and you’re building Masaajid Dhiraar.
But rather cooperate upon maintenance of Masaajid or build Masaajid. And from the angle of reminding our brothers who perhaps understood wrongly in this, that some of them think that if he participates in the building of half a Masjid or quarter of a Masjid or a smaller than a congregational Masjid that he doesn’t attain the reward of one who builds a Masjid independently, this is not correct,
(وَلِكُلٍّ دَرَجَٰتٌ مِّمَّا عَمِلُوا۟ۚ)
“And your Lord is not unaware of what they do.” [Al-An’aam: 132]
(أَنِّى لَآ أُضِيعُ عَمَلَ عَٰمِلٍ مِّنكُم)
“Never will I allow to be lost the work of any of you.” [Aal-‘Imraan: 195]
(فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِنَ ٱلصَّلِحَٰتِ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَا كُفْرَانَ لِسَعْيِهِۦ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ كَٰتِبُونَ)
“So whoever does righteous good deeds while he is a believer (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism), his efforts will not be rejected. Verily! We record it in his Book of deeds.” [Al-Anbiyaa: 94]
So this one for example builds a small Masjid in a town, there’s good in it, and they abandon participating in a Masjid which is not considered a Masjid only, rather a Masjid and a college and Da’wah and congregational Masjid and other than that of the good, so he would’ve gathered numerous khair in cooperating in building this good, which is a Masjid and a place of learning, and place of Sunnah, and in it is a library and research, and other than that of what it includes, his reward is more BaarakAllaahu Feek,
يَا بَنِي سَلِمَةَ دِيَارَكُمْ تُكْتَبْ آثَارُكُمْ دِيَارَكُمْ تُكْتَبْ آثَارُكُمْ
“O Banu Salama, live in your houses, for your steps will be recorded.”
Any steps are written for you, your reward is in cooperating in it, as one of them said by Allaah I am pleased to give riyaals in the likes of these places which are Masaajid and places of Da’wah, it’s not just amounts of money given, I’m pleased with this good, and the good in it will be better than a mere Masjid where they people pray in it upon what it is that of khair. But this khair is more,
الْمُؤْمِنُ الْقَوِيُّ خَيْرٌ وَأَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِ الضَّعِيفِ وَفِي كُلٍّ خَيْر
“The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, but in all is good.”
Answered by: Shaykh, the Allamah, the Trustworthy Advisor, Abu Abdirrahman Yahya bin Ali Al-Hajuri – may Allah preserve him
Source: https://t.me/sh_yahia_duroos/8216
Translated by: Abū ‘Abdillāh ‘Omar bin Yahya Al-‘Akawi